He was born February 23, 1951 in Cuba. At the time of the Castro regime, specifically on December 29th 1961, Portes at age of 10, along with thousands of other Cuban children were evacuated to the United States through “Operation Peter Pan,” a program crafted by Catholic Charities. He was flown to Florida as a political refugee, and six months later, traveled to Marshalltown where he served as an altar boy, and was later “adopted” by his Marshalltown family, Catherine and Leon Hockett.

Unable to speak English, Portes acquired a new language and a strong work ethic instilled by the Hocketts and lived in Marshalltown for the next six years.

As a teenager, he reunited with his Cuban family in New York City, where he completed his secondary education at George Washington High School, later attending La Salle Extension University.

There began a successful career in the insurance industry, first working for Merrill Lynch; Pierce, Fenner and Smith; and Allstate Insurance. Following three consecutive years as the Number 1 salesperson nationally for Allstate, Portes struck out on his own, launching his own business enterprise in the fields of insurance, real estate and telemarketing — he was lauded as a Latino pioneer businessman.

Early on in his career, he started the first Latino Lions Club in New York where the organization addressed the needs that impacted the Hispanic population. That effort, along with his drive and passion, caught the interest of then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter, who recruited and appointed Portes as his national coordinator for minority affairs in his presidential campaign.

Following President Carter’s election, Portes was appointed special ambassador for Latin American Affairs, where he traveled throughout Latin America and the globe establishing and/or strengthening diplomatic ties between those countries and the United States. His diplomatic work continued with every U.S. president from President Carter to President Barack Obama, who re-established ties with Portes’ home country of Cuba, thanks in part to behind-the-scenes work conducted by Portes.

As a diplomat and political appointee, Portes served in a variety of roles, including as a delegate on a number of trade missions, served as a committee member to various congressional and senate leaders, and was active in Democratic National Party politics, advising numerous campaigns.

In 2001, just after 9/11, Portes took an active role as a member of the board of directors for the American Red Cross in Greater New York, where he led efforts in assisting in disaster relief, including working at Ground Zero, media relations, shelter assistance, family assistance centers, food distribution, aiding family members of the victims and the reunification efforts of families from various countries. This would be, out of all of his extraordinary accomplishments, the one that he was the most proud of.

In his own words: “I left my heart at Ground Zero.”

His volunteer efforts and civic responsibility allowed him to serve on a number of boards throughout New York City and later in Marshalltown, including the Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Manhattan’s Community Planning Board 12, New York Presbyterian Hospital (where he was entrusted with the construction and selection of a community hospital – The Allen Pavillion); the United Way, the Marshalltown Business & Education Alliance, the creation of the Marshalltown chapter of LULAC, and the Marshall County Crime Stoppers.

He was honored with numerous awards and accolades, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award, the Iowa Hall of Fame, the People’s Choice Award, recipient of the official Key to the City of Marshalltown, numerous citations and honors related to business and diplomacy. But more importantly, Portes was a man respected and loved by those who cherished his friendship, his counsel and his wisdom. When he held court in his “office” with those he loved and counted as his friends, you could guarantee there would be good cigars, refreshing mojitos and challenging conversation.

Portes is survived by his longtime companion, Hanny Garcia Huerta; and numerous friends in Iowa, New York and Cuba, who in turn became his extended family.

A public visitation will be held on Tuesday June 25, 2019 at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home starting at 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Vigil service held at 7:00, a funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, June 26, at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church at 10:00 a.m. with burial to follow at Riverside Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: The spiritual/emotional/mental health tornado disaster relief committee for a special program focused on working with children to help them process through their traumatic experience, grief and to build a brighter future.

Please make checks payable to the institution in charge of collecting the money for this noble cause:

Trinity Lutheran Church, 1011 S 3rd Ave., Marshalltown, IA 50158 Memo: Carlos Portes.

Carlos Portes once remarked: “Rely on your faith, live the present, learn from your past and let God guide your future. Always remember where you came from and all the people you have touched along life’s journey.”

¡Mil Gracias, querido Carlos! We are all better in having known you.

Mitchell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”- William James

A political refugee, a successful businessman, an ambassador, a volunteer, a cigar aficionado, a wine connoisseur, the epitome of “The American Dream,” a loyal and trusting friend – it all describes Carlos Portes.